On Wednesday night, a Manchester City teenager made history with a record-breaking UEFA Champions League full debut in their 3-1 win over Sevilla, with Pep Guardiola hailing the teenager's performance.
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Rico Lewis had made four appearances for the Citizens heading into his full debut in Europe's elite club competition against Sevilla, a night that turned out to be a dream for the England youth international.
According to the Daily Mirror, the right-back has become the youngest player to mark his first start in the Champions League with a goal at 17 years and 346 days, breaking a record previously set by Karim Benzema.
After City were a goal down heading into half-time, Lewis struck in the 52nd minute to draw his side level, before Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez completed the Premier League giants' comeback later in the second half.
Speaking after the game, Guardiola insisted that Lewis deserved his chance in the team, suggesting he is not picking the youngster for the sake of it.
"He got a standing ovation and I'm really happy for him. He's a fantastic player, so intelligent. We don't give presents here, not because he's a City fan or from the academy – he's had to earn it," the Spaniard said, per the Mirror.
"We've seen it since the day he played a few minutes against Bayern Munich in pre-season. All the good players felt he had something special. The guys who want to stay and fight will have a chance. If they're not patient and listen to agents, they can leave.
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"But you saw the reaction from the crowd, how they feel about having people from the academy playing for us. Sometimes you think we'll have to buy fullbacks, but when we can give someone from the academy a chance, it's a dream come true."
City have finished top their group with four wins from six matches, conceding just twice in an unbeaten start to the first round of the Champions League.
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